I Became a Veteran Heroine in a Harem Story

“This is impossible. How could a Demon Realm Gate appear here, in one of the stronghold cities protected by interference stones?!”

“Instructor, fortunately it seems no one was seriously injured!”

All the kobolds had fallen, but the atmosphere was still dominated by intense excitement.

No one was seriously injured. At most, people had minor cuts, tears, and scratches. However, the students, guards, and even the instructors in charge were too shocked to make proper judgments.

‘The ones that went to the city are the real deal. This is just the beginning.’

Not expecting proper leadership in this unprecedented situation, I discreetly turned my body. With the darkness falling and the surrounding atmosphere in complete chaos, I thought I could slip away unnoticed and head to the city.

I intended to go there and kill that bull-headed bastard. The hot thrill of real combat that I felt after a long time wasn’t easily subsiding within my body.

The face of that monster who had sneered at us, saying wind pressure alone was enough to deal with us, flickered in my memory.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

The person who noticed me picking up a spear someone had dropped and trying to slip away was Karin. Her face was pale from exhaustion after unleashing magic, and was a mess with tears.

“You saw the minotaur too, but that monster is now in the city slaughtering people. I need to stop it.”

“W-what are you saying? How could you possibly… That thing is a monster!”

“…I must fulfill my duty. The way to save and protect doesn’t always mean killing the enemy.”

Heroine ranking last place, Karin’s penalty. Now that I had confirmed what it was, there was no need to stay by Karin’s side anymore.

“W-wait… wait…”

I turned around. Karin, already exhausted, couldn’t follow me and collapsed to the ground, calling out to me with a strained voice, but I didn’t look back at her again.

But I’m not in such a comfortable position either.

Since my growth was still slow, I couldn’t fight carelessly. Moreover, my opponent was a monster far beyond the level of an ordinary student.

I had to try, but I was also prepared to retreat if it seemed impossible.

“Hell.”

When I went outside the main gate, it was already chaos. Traces everywhere, brutally mutilated corpses, and bloodstains.

While the dormitory where the gate had opened was now quiet, the screams of people could still be heard from all directions due to the monster raid on the city, determined to cause maximum damage.

* * *

“Let’s head back to the dormitory now. We can take our time to wash up and relax in our rooms.”

“Sounds good.”

It should have been a pleasant and peaceful night. A very satisfying night with full stomachs and having enjoyed everything there was to enjoy.

In the dusky evening, the light from the lanterns and luminous stone streetlights throughout the city added comfort to such feelings.

“…Huh?”

But that peace and happiness were shattered in a completely unexpected way. A giant monster appeared from the direction where the dormitory should be, making thudding sounds as it moved.

It just grinned as if it had found prey and swung the huge spear it was holding. It wasn’t even swung with full force, just a light swing.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

A second-year student who rolled on the ground from the strong wind pressure of that light strike screamed upon seeing his colleague who had been directly hit, half of his body gone, collapsed and spewing intestines and blood.

“Aaaaargh! Help!”

When fear created by the vivid blood before their eyes dominated everything, there was no time to think about anything else. All they could do was turn and flee with all their might.

“—!”

The minotaur, sneering at those pathetic backs, ordered the kobolds following it to massacre. They simply slaughtered everything in sight according to their nature.

The peaceful city instantly turned into a hellish scene of pandemonium due to a single gate opened inside.

“Monsters! Mons—gaack.”

“Run away!”

They didn’t discriminate between targets. Whether academy students or city residents, they just rushed in and killed whoever they saw.

Compassion and pleas didn’t work. Because they weren’t human. They felt no remorse for killing humans.

Rather, they enjoyed it with ecstasy and pleasure.

They killed mothers holding children by piercing them together with spears, and they cruelly murdered elderly people who had no strength to escape.

So the only option for those without the power to fight back was to run and hide. And then they had to wait while praying.

Until the city guard forces and the Magic Knights arrived.

What was needed in the meantime was luck. Luck not to be discovered by those monsters and not to become a target.

“Erich!”

“They’re kobolds. If we don’t panic, we can handle them.”

Of course, even in such a situation, there were those who stood up to fight.

Erich, who was with Lunara, Deina, and other student council members, was one of them.

‘How is this even possible? This area is protected by interference stones that block the enemy’s gates.’

Erich, who had borrowed a sword from a nearby forge workshop, rushed toward the kobolds chasing the fleeing people.

He calmly swung his sword and cut down the attacking kobold with a single strike. He had faced quite a few kobolds during his active duty period.

He was already familiar with how to deal with them more easily.

“This is…”

But he gritted his teeth with a curse, feeling dizzy at the sight of residents’ bodies rolling miserably on the ground.

In the hand of a young girl who had fallen with her head half split open, bleeding beside a woman presumed to be her mother whose neck was severed, was a piece of candy she hadn’t had time to eat.

“The monsters have scattered and are attacking people indiscriminately.”

“Their numbers aren’t that many. The more they scatter, the easier they are to deal with, so let’s move.”

Erich regained his composure and calmly gave instructions to Lunara and Deina, who had followed him with weapons they could use.

The kobolds were gradually dispersing as they broke into houses to kill people hiding inside or chased after those trying to escape.

Even as students, they could adequately handle taking down such monsters one by one.

‘Just a little. We just need to hold out until the city guards arrive.’

He didn’t harbor any vain delusions of killing all enemies and becoming a hero. All Erich wanted was just a little time.

To use that time to save as many people as possible. That shouldn’t be too much to ask.

“That one…”

“It’s a kobold warchief. A magical beast at knight level.”

A formidable enemy with proper equipment appeared before them. A kobold warchief holding a sword in one hand and, like a trophy in the other, the severed head of a man with a pained expression.

‘Can we win?’

Erich, raising his tension, glanced at Lunara and Deina beside him.

In the current situation, their help was absolutely necessary to take down that strong enemy cleanly without taking unnecessary risks.

“Let’s do this. We can do it. If we run away, those people will die.”

As if sensing his thoughts, Deina spoke first, suggesting they fight while glancing behind them. Erich nodded after looking in that direction.

Where they were now was in front of a restaurant where people had taken refuge. The citizens who had hastily built makeshift barricades at the entrance after evacuating there stared blankly at those who had chosen to fight to protect them.

“Those people, could they be from the academy…”

“They’re students. Will they be okay?!”

“Looking at the armbands, they seem to be student council members. Then there might be a chance!”

Unless they had guns that could fire magic bullets, there was little that ordinary citizens could do directly in combat above a certain level. All they could do was entrust their lives to them and pray for victory.

‘Is this the limit? How is this any different from my previous life?’

Erich gritted his teeth as he aimed his sword at the enemy, gripping it so tightly that his veins bulged.

In addition to the desperate gazes of people behind him, the sounds of screams and combat could still be heard from elsewhere. But with his current skills, protecting this place was all he could do.

His heart was beating violently. The pain and fear he had experienced in his previous life due to lack of skill began to overwhelm him once again, crossing the boundary between life and death.

“Erich, focus. While Deina provides support, we need to take both flanks.”

“…Right. I’ll go first.”

Lunara’s voice, penetrating his thoughts, pushed away the visions of the past that had been encroaching on him, like a clear bell sound.

The enemy, who tossed away the head it had been holding as if anticipating fun, charged toward them without hesitation, and Erich lunged forward nimbly.

‘I’m not alone. Not then, not now. So this time, I’ll definitely change things.’

Blocking the kobold warchief’s sword, he stood his ground with all his might and pushed it back. Then, trusting others as he had done before, he swung his sword with all his strength.

But the outcome would certainly be different from his previous life. This time, he would protect those around him as much as he received help.